


Old Dogs and New Tricks

by megsblackfire



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Apparent Death, M/M, Reaper's mask is an anchor, Three primary healers are here too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 06:44:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10508430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megsblackfire/pseuds/megsblackfire
Summary: "This old dog still knows a few tricks." Jack didn't realize just how far that statement went or that it could also apply to a certain smoke monster.





	

**Author's Note:**

> There was a post on Tumblr a while back about Reaper's mask being his anchor to the physical world. If you've seen that post, you know where this is going. If not, enjoy the show~

The battle was going badly. Talon agents were everywhere, cutting Jack’s team off from the rest of the agents that were trying to secure the artefact that Talon wanted so badly. Blood was splattered against his visor; a mix of his and the men he’d killed; and he had to keep reaching up to wipe it away. Angela was trembling beside him, her staff swapped out for her pistol. He shook his head.

“It’s no good; we’ll never be able to break this line,” he said before he touched his commlink. “Reaper, disengage and fall back. We’ll try to rendezvous with B Team after they’ve secured the payload.”

“Little pinned down,” Reaper snapped. “Can’t fall back. Fuck.”

“Hang on,” Jack grit his teeth before he charged forward. “Angela, get Genji out of here!”

“Soldier, wait!” Angela shouted after him, but he was already moving.

He charged through the line of pillars, firing on the Talon agents that had Reaper pinned down. Reaper was firing as fast as he could, but there was only so much he could do when agents seemed to be emerging from the ground. Jack fired off a triad of rockets and sprinted for Reaper.

“I got your back,” he shouted as he slid to a stop behind Reaper.

They pressed their backs against each other, circling slowly as they fired on the agents. Jack grit his teeth and fired off another round of rockets. Reaper’s shotguns fired rapidly before they were thrown as hard as they could be at agents that got too close. Jack would have laughed if the situation wasn’t so dire.

“Three o’clock!” Jack shouted as he twisted towards the threat.

“Your three or my three?” Reaper demanded.

“Mine!”

“It’s always yours,” Reaper laughed as he twisted to blast the Talon agent’s face off.

“Are we honestly having that conversation now?” Jack groaned. “We’re in the middle of a fight!”

“Oh, lighten up,” Reaper laughed as the Talon agents started to retreat. “That’s our cue. Come on!”

“Reaper, wait!”

Jack groaned as Reaper charged off after the retreating agents, tossing his spent guns aside as he pulled new ones out from under his cloak. Jack gave chase, watching the discarded guns turn into smoke as he passed them. He rounded the corner just in time to watch Reaper get shot in the face.

He lifted his rifle and blasted the agent responsible to pieces. His heart hammered in his chest as Reaper swayed on the spot. The bone white mask fell to the ground in three shattered pieces and Reaper sank to his knees.

“No,” Jack whimpered as he ran forward. “No, no, no, no, no!”

He caught Reaper as he fell, cushioning his fall. He set Reaper on the ground, staring at the mutilated face of Gabriel Reyes. He swallowed and pressed his gloved hand to Gabriel’s face, trying to get those red eyes to focus. Gabriel’s scorched eyelids fluttered as blood leaked down out of the hole in his skull.

“Jack…I can’t…hold on,” Gabriel murmured.

“Don’t,” Jack shook his head furiously. “Not like this. Not like this, Gabe.”

Gabriel let out a weak laugh as his body began to fall apart into smoke. Jack let out a scream of denial and wrenched his mask off. He pressed his lips to Gabriel’s, trying to get him to focus.

“Focus on me,” he begged. “Please, Gabriel, focus on me!”

“ _Cariño_ ,” Gabriel sighed against his lips. “I’ve waited so long to taste your kisses again. What a nice parting gift.”

“No,” Jack shouted as he clawed at Gabriel’s dissolving chest. “No, don’t do this to me! Stay with me, Gabriel! STAY WITH ME! Don’t leave me alone again!”

Gabriel let out a long sigh before he collapsed into smoke. The bone white mask disintegrated; his anchor to the physical plane destroyed. Jack screamed in denial, clawing at the smoke that was still trapped beneath him.

He heard footsteps and shouting behind him, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t lose Gabriel again. They were just starting to reconcile! They were laughing and joking like old comrades! He couldn’t lose him.

The smoke twisted beneath him, pressing against his flesh. He tried to wrap his arms around it and hold it close. He was still there; if he moved too much, he would lose Gabriel forever.

“Stay with me,” he whispered. “Oh god, Gabriel, please!”

He felt something solid in his arms for a moment before the smoke rushed at his face. He gasped and coughed as the smoke forced its way down his throat, nose, and eyes. He shook his head as the smoke seemed to become liquid, clinging to his insides as it rapidly filled him. He clawed at his throat, coughing and choking as he tried to breathe. He beat a fist against his chest, vomiting up black goop that immediately shot towards his gloves and clung like another layer of skin.

“Jack!” Angela shouted behind him.

“Jack?” Gabriel whispered fearfully in his head. “What did I do?”

Jack shook his head, trying to clear it of the throbbing. He tried to get to his feet and stumbled forward. His eyes rolled back into his head and he flopped boneless to the ground. Inside of him, the liquidized smoke seeped into every cell and Gabriel’s voiced echoed in his mind.

“Jack…Jack, where am I? What did I do?”

***

Jack slowly opened his eyes and inhaled. The mask over his mouth and nose gave him pure oxygen and it felt amazing. He did his best not to disturb any of the wires stabbing into him as he slowly looked around him. He was in a medical bay; judging by the state of the room, he’d say it was Gibraltar. Angela kept her very best equipment with her when she worked and being stationed at Gibraltar meant she had all of her good equipment there.

He let out a long sigh before he looked up at the ceiling. The lights were dimmed so that they wouldn’t blind him, but he almost wished they did. He didn’t want to see the world; had it always been so dull? Everything felt heavy and he knew why.

Reaper, Gabriel Reyes, his friend-turned-enemy-turned-friend, was gone. His anchor was destroyed and he dissipated without any way to repair the mask. A choked sob escaped his throat and he reached up to rub at the lump that had formed right above his Adam’s apple.

“Jack’s awake!” Lúcio shouted.

Jack opened his eyes, not knowing when he had closed them. Lúcio, Angela, and Zenyatta swarmed him, asking him a million questions at once. Angela and Lúcio started taking readings from the equipment while Zenyatta’s harmony orbs flowed out around him, whirling softly as they showered Jack with calming energy.

“How are you feeling?” Angela asked.

“Broken,” Jack murmured.

“I’m sorry, Jack,” Angela murmured as she rested a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe it’s for the best.”

Jack closed his eyes and nodded his head. He felt tears running down his face and angrily wiped them away. He sniffled, turning his head away from the doctors.

“How long have I been out?” he asked.

“Two days,” Angela said. “We almost lost you on the flight back. Your vitals were off the charts.”

“The mission?”

“A success; Hanzo took control of everything and managed to get the artefact out in one piece,” Angela said.

“Good,” Jack nodded before he leaned back against the pillow. “I…I just want to sleep. Can you give me something for that?”

Angela nodded as she went to get the medication. Lúcio finished scribbling down Jack’s vitals and turned to look at him. He opened his mouth but closed it again without saying a word. Jack nodded, looking the boy in the eye. He knew Lúcio wanted to offer him comfort, but he had no idea how to. This was not an easy situation to deal with. It was one thing to lose a friend and lover in the field, it was another to lose someone with the history that he and Gabriel had.

Angela returned with the drug and pushed the needle into the I.V drip. Jack inhaled deeply as he watched the clear substance slowly drip down into his veins. His eyes closed and he settled back against the bed.

He woke screaming and clawing at his chest. Something was splitting the flesh across his chest open and a black liquid was spilling out. He thrashed on the medical berth, howling in agony as his bones cracked and bent at unnatural angels. The liquid pooled and congealed, twisting into what looked like a pair of shoulders and a head.

Arms exploded out of the mass, slamming down on either side of Jack’s head and clawing at the sheets. Jack screamed louder, arching off the bed as his sternum cracked under the pressure. The liquid monster screamed just as loudly, howling down at him as it tried to climb out of his flesh. He could vaguely hear other people shouting and screaming around him, but he could barely make any of it out.

It hurt so much. Why did it have to hurt? What was this liquid and why was it tearing him apart?

Liquid dripped onto his face and he looked up. The liquid retreated slightly and a confused set of red eyes stared at him. The liquid monster let out a soft shriek before the liquid retreated back, revealing a familiar, beautifully scarred face. The liquid moved like a living entity around Gabriel’s face as he and Jack stared at each other.

“Gabe?” Jack whispered.

“Jack…what’s happening?” Gabriel asked.

His body contorted upwards, drawing more liquid out and Jack screamed in agony. Gabriel flailed, trying to kick his way free as Jack’s body arched off the bed. People were screaming around him and he could hear the rapid blasts of Angela’s pistol, but none of the shots seemed to be connecting.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Gabriel collapsed onto the bed beside him. They both laid there shaking as Jack’s skin stitched itself back together. Gabriel pressed in close, tucking his face into Jack’s shoulder as his arms solidified.

“I…think you’re my new anchor,” he murmured softly.

“Is it going to hurt that much every time you need to be revived?” Jack asked as he rubbed at his chest.

“Jack, how the fucking HELL am I supposed to know that?” Gabriel snorted and snuggled closer.

“Was worth a shot,” Jack shrugged. “And you know you’re ass naked right now, right? And that everyone that was shooting at you is now staring like they’ve seen Nirvana?”

Gabriel lifted a hand and flipped the group staring at them off. “I’m too exhausted to bother with clothing,” he huffed. “Do you know how much concentration that takes? Fuck it.”

Jack smiled as he pulled Gabriel closer. He kissed over Gabriel’s forehead, not minding the soft growl and glare he got. He didn’t like PDA, but Jack didn’t care. Not right now.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Jack murmured. “When I thought I’d lost you….”

“I know, Jack,” Gabriel pushed his cheek against Jack’s shoulder. “I was in your head. I felt it all. I never…I never stopped, Jack. Never.”

“We have time to make up for my stupidity,” Jack reassured him.

“We were both stupid, _mi sol_ ,” Gabriel chuckled. “But how typical of you to try to make me out to be the saint while you were the one that was the problem. Always ready to take the fall, Boy Scout.”

“For you?” Jack chuckled as he held Gabriel close. “Always.”


End file.
